Berth guard and ladder.



Patented May 20, 1902-. J. PLAUT. BEBTH GUARD AND LADDER.

(Application filed Feb 3, 1902,)

(No Model.)

THE NbRms PETERS c0" PNOTO-LITHQ. wnsnma'run. u. c.

7 To all whom; it"mayconcern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF IC JOSEPH PLAUT, or oINoINNAT orno.

BER TH 'GUARDANDZLADDERLI srnor'rrcn'rroiv forming part of Lettersliatent najo asau t d Maize, itiog. v Application filed February 1902."Serial No. 92,427; (1101115351.) I l Be it known that I, J OSIEPHYPLAUT,a citi-' zen of the'United States, residing at Qiri'einnati', in thecounty of 'Hamilton'and State of Ohio, have invented certain newanduseful Imprvementsin-Berth Guards'and Ladders, of which the following isa specification; f

] Thisinventionpertainsto'berth guards'and ladders for use'insleeping-cars, steamers, and the like and relates torimprovements;

upon the berth'gu ard'an'd ladder disclosedin Letters Patent of "theUnited States No.-

. 451,516, granted me May 5, 1891.. Theseimprovements will be readilyunderstood from the following description, taken in connec-' tion withthe accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 is a front elevationiof three upper and three lowerberths of an ordinary sleep-' ing-car fitted with my improvedladder andguard, the device appearing 'attheleft as a ladder, at the middle asa.-.berth-guard, and

at the right as hung ontheordinary curtainrail. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of a portion of one of the ladder-rails, showing the preferredmethod otsecuring the ladderrungs to the rails. Fig. Bis aperspectiveview of an attachi'ng hook'at-the'ends of the laddel -rails. Fig; tis 'a,sideelevationof a portion of one of. the headboards or partitionsbetween the berths, illustrating a form'of attaching device to receivethe hooks of the berth-guard. Fig. 5 isfa perspective View of one of thestraps employedto secure the'ladd'er tothe upperberth. Figf 61's a planView of a portion of one'ofj-the ladder-rails, showing theattachingdoand which serves to attach the berth guard and ladder to theour cross-section of the. ladder-rail, taken on the line 1] y of Fig'.6, showing the attaching-band having its loop slipped'within the tubingof the lad'd'er rail for use as a berth guard or lad.- der and alsoshowing the attaching-band in .for receiving the curtain-rail.

'A in'dicates the usual lower-berthskof a sleeping-car; :B', the usual iuppergberth's'; O,

abovetlie upper berth-andforming attach ing devices for theladderg F;shortstraps, pair on the front edge-of-ieac'h-upper berth,

dotted lines slipped outwardly "opened one end of each strapbeingpermanentlysecured to the berth, while the other end is are ranged tobutton tojthe' berth; G,- aladder,

shown at the left-of Fig. 1 as-arranged for use as a ladder proper ing'ettingin and out of the upper berth andsliown-at the middle l asarranged for. useas' a front guardfor the upper berth to prevent thesleeper from beas secured to the curtain-rail for holding the ladderwhen out of use 'andmakin'g conven- .70-- I ing thrown out, and alsoshown at-the right ien't disposition of the-same whereit is out of theway, while being convenient and handy 'for immediate use in case it isrequired.

. H represents the rails of the ladder, formed,

preferably, of a tubing of leathenI.

J represents the rungs of the laddenformed, preferably, of twisted ropestrands or; wire,

- these rungs passing-through transverseholes I in the ladder rails, abuttonK at? each side of each' ladder-rungjoutside the ladder-railssecuring the rungs in place, the strands of the rungs being run throughthe holes in the button, and the button thus preventing the rung frompulling out of the ladderrail. a

' L is a hooksecured in suitable! manner at each end of theladder-rail.

M isa band of resilient material having a hook N at one end for takinginto a hole 0 at its other end for forming a ring, which takes throughtwo openings P Q in the ladder-rail in such manner thatthe ring-may beshoved almost entirely through the openings into the inside oftheladder-rail forgetting it out of the way when using the device as aladder or berth guard and may also be pulled almost entirelyoutside'theladder-rail; sotha-t it may be attached to the curtain-rail,but

tween the openings. The openings are also provided with metal thimbles Sfor protecting the leather of the ladder-rail from wear when the bandsare slipped in and out, the thimbles taking snugly against the sides ofthe bands for holding the same in or out, as desired. There is one ofthese bands near each end of the ladder-rail. These loops of the bandsare normally slipped inwardly into the hollowladder-rail when the ladderis used as a ladder or a berthguard; but when it is desired to hang upthe ladder the bands are slipped outwardly and the hooks in the bandsare disengaged from theirholes. The bands then open and are placed aboutthe curtainrails, when the hooks are again caught into the holes and theladder is secured in place on the curtain-rail, conveniently ready forimmediate use in case of requirement and out of the way.

YVhen the ladder is in the position shown in the left of Fig. 1, it isheld to the upper berth by the straps F, the lower end of the ladderhanging freely down below the lower berth, but not necessarily attachedthereto. In this condition the ladder can be used for getting, into andout of the upper berth. \Vhen the ladder is to be used as a berthguard,its hook ends are engaged with the attaching devices on the headboards,as will be readily understood from the middle portion of Fig. 1, andwhen the ladder is not in use as a ladder or berth-guard it is attachedto the curtain-rail, as shown at the right-hand portion of Fig. 1,conveniently ready for immediate use.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a berth guard and ladder, the combinationsubstantially as set forth, of an upper berth vertical partitions at thehead and foot of the berth, provided with attaching devices, acurtain-rail above the upper berth, a ladder provided with hooks atitsends to engage said attaching devices when the ladder is disposedhorizontally, fastenings atv the front edge of the berth to engage theladder when disposed vertically, a resilient band near each end of theladder taking about the curtain-rail when the ladder is disposed abovethe upper berth, rails for the ladder, openings in a rail for each band,with a connection R of the rail between the openings supporting theladder from the band, a recess in the rail for each band permitting theloops of the bands to be slipped within the rail when the ladder is sodisposed horizontally at the upper berth or vertically as stated, andalso arranged for having the bands slipped outwardly about thecurtain-rail for supporting the ladder above the upper berth,substantially asdescribed.

2. In a berth guard and ladder, the combination, substantially as setforth, of an upper berth, a curtain-rail above the same, the hollowleather ladder-rails H, the holes P, Q, and connecting-piece R near eachend of the ladder-rail, the thimbles S taking into the holes andprotecting the leather, and the resilient bands M M taking about thecurtainrail and connecting-piece R and into the hollow rails throughsaid holes P, Q, each band having a hook N and a hole 0, constructed andarranged for slipping the loops of the bands within the hollow rail andfor opening the band and slipping'the same about the curtain-rail abovethe upper berth and thereby fastening the ladder thereto.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name hereto in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH PLAUT. Vitnesses:

ERNEST G. SIMON, HERBERT F. HARDEN.

